 | Poems and Translations |  |
96
The 8th Psalm Translated.
I
O King Eternal and Divine!The World is thine alone:
Above the Stars thy Glories shine,
Above the Heav'ns thy Throne.
II
How far extends thy mighty Name?Where'er the Sun can roll,
That Sun thy Wonders shall proclaim,
Thy Deeds from Pole to Pole.
97
III
The Infant's Tongue shall speak thy Pow'r,And vindicate thy Laws;
The Tongue that never spoke before,
Shall labour in thy Cause.
IV
For when I lift my Thoughts and Eyes,And view the Heav'ns around,
Yon' stretching Waste of azure Skies,
With Stars, and Planets crown'd;
V
Who in their Dance attend the Moon,The Empress of the Night,
And pour around her Silver Throne,
Their tributary Light:
98
VI
Lord! what is mortal Man? that HeThy kind Regard should share?
What is his Son, who claims from Thee
And challenges thy Care?
VII
Next to the blest Angelick Kind,Thy Hands created Man,
And this inferior World assign'd,
To dignify his Span.
VIII
Him all revere, and all obeyHis delegated Reign,
The Flocks that thro' the Valley stray,
The Herds that graze the Plain.
99
IX
The furious Tyger speeds his flight,And trembles at his Pow'r,
In fear of his superior Might,
The Lions cease to roar.
X
Whatever horrid Monsters treadThe Paths beneath the Sea,
Their King at awful Distance dread,
And sullenly obey.
XI
O Lord, how far extends thy Name?Where-e'er the Sun can roll:
That Sun thy Wonders shall proclaim,
Thy Deeds from Pole to Pole.
| Poems and Translations | |